Past Present Future This program, which I have only just discovered, is undertaking a series on The History of Bad Ideas. In this first episode they look at Hysteria. Hysteria has a very long history, described differently at different times- sometimes as an expression of saintliness, other times as a form of possession or madness. It only tends to be applied to women, especially ‘unwomanly’ women. Men don’t want the diagnosis of hysteria, and men were instead described as melancholic or neurasthenic, or in later times shell-shocked. Men may be described as being hypochondriacs, but they still have agency: they are asking ‘what is wrong with ME?’ and distinct from ‘what is wrong with HER?’ French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot saw it as a form of epilepsy, with hypnosis as a form of diagnosis. Freud actually listened to his hysterics but he imposed his own narrative on what he heard. But might not hysteria be a reasonable response to sexual trauma. Later in the 19th century feminists embraced the term for a woman who didn’t fit in. The DSM removed ‘hysteria’ as a category, now using the term ‘conversion disorder’ or ‘histrionic personality disorder’. But how much grace do we give people if there isn’t a clinical disorder?
The Rest is History 678 : Britain- God Save the King Continuing on with their series on the national anthems of World Cup contenders, Dominic and Tom turn their attention to God Save the King. (All my life it has been God Save the Queen). Unlike the French and American anthems, God Save the King does not celebrate revolution, clinging instead to an image of King and God. An anthem is strictly speaking a musical setting for a biblical text, sacralizing the idea of a national song. No-one really knows who wrote it. It was thought for a while that it was written by very British composer Purcell, but in the 16th century it was said to be written by the appropriately-named John Bull. It has been thought that it might have referenced Bonnie Prince Charlie’s arrival off the coast of Scotland in 1745, bringing into conflict the Stuart vs. Hanoverian visions of monarchy. God Save the King erupted on the national stage in Drury Lane. It went viral, but people still didn’t know who wrote it. Was it a Jacobite anthem? But how to explain the Hanoverian spirit of the 2nd verse? The melody was adopted by other European states. However, it has fallen out of favour somewhat. In 1941 Orwell was ashamed of it, and the Sex Pistols had their own version. People sneer at it because it is a boring dirge, and Republican and secular politics see it as problematic. And how about the World Cup, where Scotland and Wales compete in their own right? Scotland could have the song ‘Flower of Scotland’ and perhaps ‘Jerusalem’ might be a good song for England (as distinct from Britain).
The War Game The Grey Zone Episode 5 Cyber Power (Part II) Hacking ISIS Well, after all these episodes about Russia hacking us, it was almost a relief to hear about how ‘we’ (i.e. Western democracies) are fighting back. ‘Cyber power’ is not something online or ‘in’ your computer, but instead it is the use of the online environment to change things in the real world. The line between cyber attack and information attack is a blurry one. The problem is that the West is legally and ethically constrained, but our enemies are not. In a Cyber War things stop rather than escalate. Russia is viewed as an acute threat; China is more of a chronic threat. ‘We’ (i.e. US and UK) were able to disrupt ISIS recruitment and battlefield communication, and even though they are no longer ‘dark’, they are less available on platforms.
The Resident Judge of Port Phillip 